


Dream a Little Dream

by greywolfheir



Series: Old Guard Inception AU [1]
Category: The Old Guard (Movie 2020)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Inception Fusion, Grief/Mourning, Implied/Referenced Character Death, Implied/Referenced Suicide, M/M, POV Nile Freeman, Past Character Death, Team as Family
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-17
Updated: 2020-11-04
Packaged: 2021-03-08 00:26:29
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 9
Words: 8,984
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26506660
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/greywolfheir/pseuds/greywolfheir
Summary: "Nile had heard of them before--extractors. They went into dreams and tried to extract information. Andy introduced them to her as Booker, Joe, and Quynh. She began explaining that Booker was the forger--an identity thief who was able to change the dreamer’s perception of him. Quynh was Andy’s right hand woman, a manager of sorts who made Andy’s big goals become reality. That left Joe. Their...well his role wasn’t exactly clear, but he used to be an architect. Which is what Nile was supposed to be."Based heavily on the movie Inception (2010), which you don't necessarily need to see for this fic to make sense. Nile is hired as a dream architect to replace Joe, who's been fucking up missions due to his grief for Nicky, who has died permanently but keeps showing up in dreams.
Relationships: Joe | Yusuf Al-Kaysani/Nicky | Nicolò di Genova, Minor or Background Relationship(s), Nile Freeman & Joe | Yusuf Al-Kaysani
Series: Old Guard Inception AU [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1927126
Comments: 19
Kudos: 70





	1. Prologue

**Author's Note:**

> READ THE TAGS CAREFULLY
> 
> I watched Inception the other day and found too many parallels between Cobb/Mal and Joe/Nicky. Plus Inception's a great movie, and the Old Guard is a great movie. Why not combine them?

**Prologue**

“God  _ damnit _ , Joe!” Joe winced at both the remembered pain of the dream and Andy’s admonishment. “Again? How many  _ fucking _ times has that been?”

“Andy,” Booker warned.

“No, Book, I want to know,” Andy continued, storming over to Joe. “Exactly  _ how _ many times are you going to fuck things up for us?”

“Andromache!” Quynh snapped. “That’s enough.”

Andy did back off, then, but Joe knew it was less at her anger subsiding and more at the threat of Quynh’s wrath directed at her. She turned around and kicked her chair, causing it to tumble over.

“Well,” Copley began awkwardly from his corner of the room, “I must admit you  _ did _ get the information out of me. Even if your methods were...a bit sloppy.”

“Trust me, Mr. Copley, it’s not always like this,” Booker explained. “If you were to hire us, things would go much more smoothly.”

Copley looked over at Joe and then to Andy. “Find a better architect, and then we’ll talk.”

Joe sighed. He deserved that.

It had been months after their last gig before Copley contacted them. Their last gig hadn’t exactly gone smoothly, either--Joe’s fault again--so they snatched up Copley’s offer immediately. He’d said it was something big, but wouldn’t say what unless they gave him a demonstration, which is how they’d gotten here. Joe was lucky Andy hadn’t gutted him then and there.

Copley left and Andy went to storm out of the building. Booker went off to drink somewhere, and that left Joe alone with Quynh.

“Will you honor my memory after your girlfriend murders me?” he asked her.

She raised an eyebrow at him.

“No, that’s fair.” He rubbed a hand down his face. “So I guess this is goodbye.”

“Don’t be ridiculous, Joe,” Quynh said, rolling her eyes. “She’s not going to throw you out into the streets. We need you on the team.”

“Not for this one, apparently,” Joe sighed. 

“I’m sure we’ll find something for you to do,” Quynh countered. She paused, concern growing in her eyes. “It’s been over a year, Joe. You should talk to someone ab--”

“About  _ what _ , Quynh?” Joe asked, harsher than he intended. “He’s  _ gone _ . There’s nothing else to say.”

“He may be gone, but  _ you’re  _ still here,” Quynh said, putting a hand on his knee. “You matter just as much as he did.”

Joe shook his head emphatically at that. “ _ No _ , you can’t tell me that’s true. He was--without him--” Joe shook his head again. “No. Look, I’ll still help with this one if I can, but this is my last job. I’m done fucking this up for everyone.”

Quynh looked like she wanted to argue, but after a moment simply nodded and said, “Okay.”


	2. One

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Posting the prologue and the first chapter simultaneously since I posted the prologue on tumblr already. I'm planning on a weekly posting schedule but tbh this is all written out, it just needs a few more edits, so it may be sooner. Bear with me.

Nile Freeman was just getting out of class when she was approached by an intimidating lady. Nile normally would be delighted, as intimidating women were more than a little attractive, but she was, well, intimidated.

“Nile Freeman?” the woman asked.

“Yes,” Nile answered cautiously.

“I’m Andy. I’m here to offer you a job.”

“What, like a work study?”

“Not exactly.”

  
  


Nile had heard of them before--extractors. They went into dreams and tried to extract information. Never before had she actually met one. But after giving Nile a test, Andy had begun explaining how her team worked. 

Now, Nile was in Andy’s car driving to some strange warehouse to meet strangers. If it hadn’t been for the fact that Andy said she’d come highly recommended by her professor, Nile would be worried she was about to get murdered. Scratch that, Nile was  _ still _ worried she’d get murdered, but this was some elaborate way to do it.

When they arrived, they were greeted by people introduced to her as Booker, Joe, and Quynh. She began explaining that Booker was the forger--an identity thief who was able to change the dreamer’s perception of him. Quynh was Andy’s right hand woman, a manager of sorts who made Andy’s big goals become reality. That left Joe. Their...well his role wasn’t exactly clear but he used to be an architect. Which is what Nile was supposed to be.

Joe, the one with the most architecture experience, was the one who would be explaining everything to Nile. The best way to do that, he said, was to show her. Which was why Nile found herself in a chair, being strapped to a machine she’d never seen before. Still, before she even had time to feel nervous, she was out like a light.

  
  
  


“Where are we?” Nile asked when she began to look around.

Joe shrugged. “A cafe. Just an ordinary, run-of the-mill cafe.”

“Do you know this place?” Nile asked, looking around. There were people there, chatting away and ignoring the two of them.”

Joe shook his head. “It’s best not to dream of memories. It makes things trickier. Besides, I’m showing you how to be an architect and the architect’s job is to  _ create _ , not remember.”

“Okay,” Nile said, gesturing around her. “So you’re telling me you created... _ all _ of this?”

“Well, yes, but it is my dream,” Joe said. “And we’re here to help  _ you _ learn. Here, watch this.”

Nile jumped as, across the street, the fruit stall exploded, but then things slowed down and the particles of wood and fruit nearly stopped mid-air. Then, it reversed, and the entire thing returned to normal.

“ _ You _ did that?” Nile asked, and Joe nodded.

“Here, let’s take a walk,” he said. As they walked, he began explaining about the structures of dreams, about how you could create anything you wanted, and about paradoxes. That last one went a little over Nile’s head but she thought she got the gist.

“Okay, but what happens if you start messing with the physics of it?” Nile asked.

“How so?”

“Like…” Nile’s mind wandered off and she tried to manipulate the dream herself by lifting the street into the air. It moved exactly as she’d imagined, the flat earth suddenly rising up to the sky until there was no sky at all, just a street above them and a street below them.

“Impressive,” Joe laughed, and Nile couldn’t help but smile.

“Okay, that was pretty cool,” she admitted. But as she looked around, all the people in the street began looking at her. “Uhh...what’s going on?”

“Oh! Sorry, I should have warned you,” Joe said. “These people, they’re a projection of my subconscious. When someone besides me alters the dream, they don’t really like it. They’re like white blood cells attacking a virus.”

“That’s...a bit creepy,” Nile admitted as yet another person gave her a once-over. “Do they actually attack?”

“Yes,” Joe admitted. “Best to let me alter the dream from now on.”

“But how am I supposed to practice?” Nile asked. “Like, can I do  _ this _ ?”

Suddenly, a skyscraper bent towards her until the mirror-like windows reflected her and Joe. When she touched the glass, it shattered and rained down around her, exposing the office-workers still diligently typing away at their computers. 

“Looks like you can,” Joe said, though he was starting to look around warily.

They continued on, but one of the pedestrians bumped into NIle as she walked.

“You wanna tell your subconscious to tone it down?” she laughed.

“I told you, Nile, they don’t like when you alter the dream,” Joe said.

“Wait, is this one of those ‘you die in a dream, you die in real life’ scenarios?” Nile asked. “What happens when they attack me?”

“Well, no,” Joe answered. “If you die in a dream, you typically wake up. But if you get injured in a dream, it still hurts like hell.”

“‘Typically’?” Nile asked. “Are there exceptions?”

Joe sighed. “Well, yes, there are certain sedatives that put you in a deeper state that you can’t wake up from. If you die in a dream under the influence of one of those sedatives, you get sent to a sort of limbo.”

“What happens then?”

“You get stuck there for decades,” Joe said with a sad smile.

“Decades?” Nile asked “But you can’t be asleep for that long.”

“Dream time works differently,” Joe explained as they rounded a corner. “Decades in here could mean minutes in reality. Trust me, Nile, you don’t want to go to that limbo state.”

“Okay,” Nile said. “But we’re not using a heavy sedative, so I can do...this.”

Suddenly she turned and opened a door to a building nearby, and they walked into an entirely different street. Beside her, Joe suddenly gasped like he’d been slapped in the face.

“Is this Malta?” he asked.

“Yeah,” Nile said with a shrug. “I went here once when I was a kid.”

“I--” Joe cleared his throat. “I told you not to use memories.”

“Well, yeah, but I’m just experimenting a little,” Nile said. “Are you ok?”

Joe did  _ not _ seem ok. He was alternating between looking like he was going to cry and darting his gaze around looking for something. “I, uh, sort of. We need to go back.”

“Okay,” Nile said warily, but that turned out to be a mistake. As soon as they stepped into another door leading back to the nondescript street, she was punched in the face.

“Nile!” Joe shouted, running towards her, throwing punches at the nearby pedestrians as he went. 

He wasn’t quick enough though, because suddenly one of them--a man with piercing blue eyes--began stalking towards her with a knife. Joe cried out but the knife was already sunk into Nile’s stomach. She felt incredible pain, and then--

Nile sat up gasping for air, only to find that she had no reason to. Booker and Quynh were by her side in seconds reassuring her, but Nile ignored them to look over at Joe. He looked distraught but he didn’t say anything, just got up and walked away.

“Damn,” Nile sighed, “the man can’t at least apologize for his subconscious?”

Booker and Quynh looked at each other and then back at Nile. Quynh asked, “What happened in there?”

“We were just talking about dreams,” Nile said, “and I guess I pushed it too far, and some guy came up and stabbed me with a knife.”

“That was probably Nicky,” Booker explained, a sad look in his eyes. “He was Joe’s husband.”

“What a charmer,” Nile scoffed. “Is he always that intense?”

Quynh looked over her shoulder, but Joe was gone. “He was, sort of, but he’s gone now.”

“Gone?”

“Dead,” Booker said, making Nile immediately feel like shit. “About a year and a half now.”

“Oh,” was all Nile could think to say.

“You’ll need a totem, Nile,” Quynh said, standing up. “Something that helps ground you to reality. Come with me, I’ll help you make one.”

“That is,” Joe said, causing all eyes to turn towards him as he walked back into the room, “if you’re willing to go through with this.”

Nile looked Joe in the eyes. She saw the pain there, but she saw other things, too. A kindness that knew no bounds, a determination that could stand the test of time, and a tiredness that comes only from those who have experienced more than their age.

“Yes,” Nile said, suddenly more sure than she’d ever been in her entire life. “I’m willing to do this.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please, please PLEASE come yell at me either in the comments or on tumblr (@greywolfheirs) if you like this fic. I'm not only 100% invested in this AU and need people to talk to about it, I'm also looking for a beta!


	3. Two

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is a sad one, folks--strap in!

It was late one night, and Nile was busy working on her totem. Andy wouldn’t explain the details of their mission to her yet until she’d practiced more with Joe. Still, she’d gotten to spend more time around all of the team, and they were beginning to grow closer. 

Booker seemed depressed all the time, perhaps something to do with his recent divorce, though he wouldn’t talk to Nile about it. Quynh was--well Quynh was secretive, too, but Nile could tell she and Andy were deeply in love, and neither of them were to be trifled with. Nile figured that’s all Quynh or Andy wanted her to know about them anyway. Still, they were both kind to her, in ways their steely outsides wouldn’t normally suggest. 

Then there was Joe, the kindest of them all. He was so patient with Nile, never got angry no matter how many times he had to explain a concept to her. He was a great teacher, too, and Nile found herself picking up wild concepts quickly. But they never used his dreams since that first day when Nicky had killed her. Nile tried to ask about Nicky plenty of times--casually and not-so-casually. Every time, Joe got this sad look in his eyes, and changed the subject.

That’s probably why, when Nile was about to leave that night and accidentally stumbled on Joe attached to the dream machine, she got the idea to see what exactly this dream was. 

_I shouldn’t do it_ , was Nile’s first thought when the idea hit her. But really, this hadn’t been the first time she’d been in this exact situation. Joe liked to dream a lot by himself, and never explained why to Nile. Besides, one of his excuses was that he was “running tests of the sedative” so shouldn’t Nile know what these tests were? Before she knew it, she was strapped in and falling asleep.

  
  


The first thing Nile noticed was that she was on an elevator. The second was that it was one of those older elevators with the cages for doors, where you could see every floor. Before she even registered what was on the floors she was moving past, however, the elevator had come to a jerky stop. It didn’t make noise, though, which Nile was glad for once she looked past the metal grates. 

Joe was there, of course, and he was sitting on the grass (apparently this elevator led outside even though--Nile checked--they were on the 9th floor). His head was bent and his forehead was pressed to Nicky’s. Nile shouldn’t have been surprised.

“Hyati,” Nicky was murmuring as Joe ran his fingers through the man’s hair, “do you remember when you asked me to marry you?”

“Of course,” Joe said in a voice so soft, Nile could have cried.

“You said I was more to you than you could dream,” Nicky continued leaning forward to steal a short kiss from Joe’s lips. “You said I was your warmth when you shiver in cold--”

“And my moon when I’m lost in darkness,” Joe said resting a hand over Nicky’s heart. “Yes, mi caro, I remember.”

“I wish I had your way with words,” Nicky sighed. “I wish _I_ could tell you I love you beyond measure and reason without stealing it from your lips.”

“Nicky,” Joe sighed right back. It was his turn to press his lips to Nicky’s, but this kiss was deeper than the first.

Nile knew she shouldn’t be seeing this--that she was invading a space she wasn’t supposed to be in--and she shifted uncomfortably. It was the wrong move. It shifted the elevator, causing it to creak. Nicky’s eyes--warm with love only a second ago--turned toward her, ice cold. Joe looked over half a second later and jumped up to march towards Nile.

“You shouldn’t be here,” he said harshly, coming into the elevator and pressing a button.

“I just wanted to see what kind of ‘test’ you were running,” Nile shot back. 

“It wasn’t any of your business,” Joe sighed, looking down and clenching his jaw.

“We’re sharing dreams, Joe, of course it’s my business.”

“ _These_ dreams aren’t.”

They arrived on the floor Joe had called for, and there was Nicky again. He was across a long kitchen, back turned to them, cooking on a stove and humming to himself. Nile looked at Joe, whose anger seemed to have faded in favor of looking at Nicky. Nile looked away, noting a button with a B on the elevator panel.

“Why do you do this to yourself?” she asked, watching as Joe’s expression hardened again as she spoke. Like he’d forgotten she was there.

“I don’t dream without the machines,” Joe answered.

“Why’s it so important to dream?”

“Nicky’s still alive in my dreams,” Joe whispered. He looked down, then and pressed another button in the elevator. “Look, Nile, if you need to know more about me, there’s only one dream you need to see. One memory, I guess.”

They reached the floor, but it led to an empty street. “You see,” Joe continued, “Nicky and I weren’t always in love.”

“Right, Booker and Quynh told me Nicky was a mark once,” Nile said as Joe led her around a corner. “He found out and killed you in a dream?”

Joe nodded. “Things went sideways and he figured out he was dreaming. I had to kill him to pull us out.” Suddenly, Nile spotted Nicky, crossing the street. At the same time, Joe was pulling out a knife. “We reconciled but I’ll never forget the hate in his eyes as I stabbed him.” Nicky spotted them, then, and began running towards Joe, eyes cold again.

“It’s my biggest regret, Nile,” Joe said readying the dagger, “but it also allowed me to find the love of my life.”

Nicky reached them, then, and initiated a struggle. In a weird way, Nilefelt like she shouldn’t be seeing this, either. Almost as if it was more intimate than their kisses. And then she had an idea. Walking backwards slowly, Nile realized Joe was too focused on his fight with Nicky to pay attention to her. Turning now, she sprinted back to the elevator, slamming the doors shut and rapidly pressing the B button. Joe saw her and ran in her direction, but it was too late. Nile was already heading down.

This time, she was in a hotel room, Nicky sipping on some champagne looking out the window. Nile stepped forward cautiously, but Nicky seemed too engrossed on the window. Then she ended up accidentally hitting her foot on the end table, sending the bottle of champagne crashing to the floor. 

Nicky perked up at the sound but he turned around slowly. He seemed...content--happy, almost--to see Nile. He also seemed slightly older.

“What are you doing here, Nile?” it wasn’t accusatory. Instead it was as if he was delighted she’d showed up. Nile noted that his words seemed a little slurred.

“How do you--”

“That doesn’t matter, Nile. I want to know what you’re doing here.” His tone still seemed calm, but Nile suddenly felt nervous.

“I’m just...trying to understand,” Nile explained as Nicky walked towards her.

Nicky smiled and shook his head. “Do you know what it is to be a lover? To be half of a whole?”

Nile shook her head.

“Of course not,” Nicky said, tilting his head. “Then how could you possibly understand?”

“I…”

“It’s okay, Nile,” Nicky said. He was close enough now that Nile could smell the alcohol on his breath. “You don’t need to understand. You just need to live.”

“What? I don’t--”

Nicky put a hand on her shoulder and leaned in close, expression serious. “Live, Nile. And help him do the same.”

“Nile!” Nile nearly screamed when Joe yelled behind her, but Nicky simply looked up and smiled.

“My heart, there you are,” Nicky sighed, stepping around Nile to head towards Joe, who ignored him in favor of looking at Nile, tears in his eyes.

“I promised myself I would never go down here again, Nile,” Joe whispered.

“And not see me, my love?” Nicky asked, a teasing pout on his face. Nile realized Joe was intentionally looking away from Nicky.

“I-I’m sorry, I had to--” Nile started but Joe closed his eyes, causing a tear to drop down his cheek and all of Nile’s excuses went out the window.

“It’s okay, Nile,” Joe said. “Let’s just go.”

“Mi caro,” Nicky whined as Nile nodded and stepped towards them. “I was just about to go out and get us more champagne. You don’t want to join me?”

Suddenly, Joe opened his eyes and reached out to Nicky, pulling him close. “Hyati, I would go anywhere in the world with you. But you must stay here.”

Nicky sighed. “If you insist. Although--”

Before Nicky could continue, Joe let him go and stalked toward the elevator Nile was already waiting in. He closed the doors behind him and pressed a button seemingly at random before taking a shaky breath and wiping his face.

The next thing Nile knew, she was waking up--back at the warehouse. She looked towards Joe, who was rubbing his face again, but his eyes were dry.

“That was the night he died, wasn’t it?” Nile found herself asking.

Joe only nodded, packing up the machine.

“What happened?”

Joe heaved a sigh. There was a long pause where Nile didn’t think he would answer, but eventually he began, “It was our anniversary. Nicky and I had been drinking, and he suggested we get more champagne. We both went together, but I stopped to get us some food at a stand. Told him to go on ahead.

“He made it around the block before he got mugged. There were five of them and Nicky was still tipsy--he didn’t stand a chance. I heard him calling for me and I ran.”

Joe shook his head, tears back in his eyes. “They saw me and panicked. That’s when--when they decided to shoot him. If I hadn’t shown up, then maybe--”

“Hey,” Nile interrupted, “you can’t think like that. It wasn’t your fault.”

“Wasn’t it?” Joe asked, tilting his head.

“No,” Nile insisted firmly. “No, it wasn’t. And you _need_ to realize that if you’re going to go on this job with us.”

  
“I’m not a big part of this job Nile,” Joe countered. “You don’t need to worry about me fucking it up.”

“That’s not what I’m worried about,” Nile said. “When I talked to Nicky, he said he felt like he was one half of a whole. But that’s not what he was, Joe, and that’s not what you are. You’re a whole damn person on your own. Torturing yourself with memories of Nicky isn’t going to help.”

Joe grinned at her. “I appreciate your advice, Nile.”

Nile sighed, knowing Joe wasn’t going to take any of it to heart. But if Nicky had told her to help Joe live, and if that Nicky was a part of Joe’s subconscious...still, you couldn’t fix grief in one night. So instead of pushing, she simply got up.

“Good night, Joe,” she called over her shoulder. 

“Good night.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm still looking for a beta for this, so if you have ANY interest at all, message me. Also, thanks for the lovely comments on the last chapter!


	4. Three

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter 3 ended up being a little short, so I decided to post two chapters this week! I hope you guys enjoy them!

Soon after the incident with Joe, Andy called a meeting. Joining them was a man Nile had never met before.

“Alright,” Andy began, “it’s time for us to make a plan for exactly how this mission is going to go. I’ve brought Copley in to make approvals.”

“And you’re sure your new architect is up to the task?” Copley asked, assessing Nile.

“She’ll get it done,” Andy said flatly. She turned to the board behind her and pointed to a picture. “Now, this is Steven Merrick, youngest CEO in pharma. He’s also a giant asshole, which is going to make our jobs difficult. Our goal is inception.”

Nile looked around, confused, and Copley caught her look.

“Don’t tell me the girl doesn’t know what inception is,” he sighed.

“It’s the opposite of extraction,” Booker provided helpfully. “Planting an idea.”

“But it’s a thousand times more complex,” Quynh added. “The idea has to seem like it came from the dreamer. We’ve got to go deep.”

“So what’s our idea?” Nile asked.

“Merrick needs to dissolve his company,” Copley said, his tone just on the edge of bitter.

“Right, but you can’t just implant the idea ‘I want to dissolve my company’ in someone’s head,” Joe explained. “There has to be a reason, and positive reasons help.”

“Which brings us to his dead parents,” Andy said, pointing to a news article. “They died in a car accident when he was a teenager along with his brother Roland. Emotional cues are going to help us.”

“So we get him to dissolve his company because that’s what his dead parents would want?” Copley asked.

“Exactly,” Andy nodded. “He’s too overworked, he’s not enjoying his youth, things that parents would want from their kids. And we start with his closest connection.”

“Who’s that?” Nile asked, and Andy pointed to Quynh.

“Well, it wasn’t easy to find,” Quynh answered. “This is not a friendly man. But there’s one doctor on his medical team--Dr. Meta Kozak--who has been there since the beginning.”

Joe scoffed. “That’s  _ it _ ?”

“I checked it myself,” Booker said. “She really is his closest confidant. He relies on her for every product and they’ve worked together for years. They’ve definitely got a connection.”

“A connection is all we need,” Andy said, interrupting whatever Joe had been about to say. “That’s our first layer--Booker imitates Kozak, pulls Merrick’s heartstrings, gets him thinking.”

“Alright then what’s the second layer?” Nile asked.

“Simple,” Quynh answered, “We just have to get him to hate himself, hate his life, etcetera. Get him thinking about what Kozak says.”

“And then in the third, we implant the idea itself,” Andy continued. “He’s already thinking it, we just push him over the edge.”

“Sounds like you’ve got it all worked out,” Nile said.

“Almost,” Andy said with a grin. “We need a dreamspace first. That’s where you’ll come in.”

“Right,” Nile said slowly. “Architect.”

“We’ll work together and help you build each dream,” Andy explained. “For now, all you have to do is keep practicing with Joe.”

“By the way,” Copley said in a dangerously casual tone, “ _ Is _ the esteemed Mr. al-Kaysani coming with us?”

Nile noticed Joe wince as Andy answered, “You asked for a new architect, Mr. Copley. You’ve got one. We have Joe in a different role, but trust me when I say, he’s not going to fuck this one up.”

“I sure hope you’re right about that,” Copley said, eyebrow raised.

  
The way Andy looked over at Joe with her sharp gaze, Nile was surprised she hadn’t added,  _ Me too. _


	5. Four

The morning of the job, they didn’t even meet up. Instead, they all nodded furtively to each other at the airport, and took their seats without comment. Well, Booker bumped into Merrick and apologized, but did it really count when he was simply stealing the man’s passport?

Booker handed it to Andy, who held onto it until the plane lifted off. Just before the flight attendant was about to pass out drinks, Andy got Merrick’s attention.

“Excuse me, sir, I think you dropped this,” Andy said, handing it over. “Found it on the ground.”

“Oh, thank you,” Merrick said as the flight attendant asked him for his drink and he requested a water. As the flight attendant--bought by their team--made Merrick’s spiked drink, Andy kept his attention.

“Hey, you’re that CEO, youngest in the business right?” Andy asked. She gave him a once-over. “You really are young.”

“Is that supposed to be a compliment?” Merrick scoffed.

“Sorry, sorry, I’m just surprised is all,” Andy said as Merrick accepted the drink from the flight attendant. “It’s impressive, you know. I bet your parents are proud.”

“My parents died years ago,” Merrick huffed, already losing interest in the conversation.

“Oh I’m sorry,” Andy said, making a face at Quynh, who covered up a giggle with a cough. Andy held out her drink. “Well, to your parents, then. May they rest in peace.”

Merrick hummed noncommittally but clinked his glass against Andy’s anyway and took a sip. And that was all they needed, really. A few minutes later, Merrick was out like a light. Andy shook him just to be sure, then signalled the flight attendant, who began the process of connecting them all to the dream machine.

And so it began.

Nile found herself in a city. Before she could really take in her surroundings (not that she needed to, she’d planned every detail to a T), a car pulled up and she got in.

“Nice work, Nile,” Andy said at the wheel. “Now let’s hope the man needs a taxi.” 

She sped up and rammed a taxi from behind. When the taxi driver got out to make a fuss, she pointed a gun at him. He walked away, and Andy got out along with Copley to take over the taxi. Joe and Nile were left behind, but Nile knew the plan. Booker would slide into the taxi at the same time as Merrick, and they would all point guns at him, turning things into a kidnapping.

All Joe and Nile had to do was get to the warehouse, where Quynh would be waiting to receive them. They were following the taxi, when suddenly Joe and Nile’s car was blindsided by another.

“Shit!” Nile exclaimed. “That wasn’t in the plan.”

“No,” Joe breathed, “no it wasn’t.”

Nile looked at Joe for a minute, then followed his gaze to the car that had crashed into them. Driving the car was a man with a familiar silhouette.

“ _ Shit, _ Joe, already?” Nile yelled, slamming her hand against the dashboard. “We’re not even five--”

She was interrupted when a hail of bullets rained down on their car and Nile cursed for the third time in a row as Joe peeled off.

They made it to the warehouse in one piece. Andy and Joe managed to lose their tail but everyone was in a panic.

“Get Merrick to the back room,  _ now _ ,” Andy yelled, and Booker and Copley followed her order. “Joe what the  _ hell _ happened, where did you go?”

“We got into a crash,” Joe said quickly. “More importantly, where did all these  _ guns _ come from.”

“Merrick’s been trained,” Quynh sighed, coming in from the back room with supplies. “He’s had experience with extraction and now his subconscious is militarized.”

“How did that not come up in your research?” Andy demanded. “We’re heavily sedated here, if any of us die, we go into  _ limbo _ for god's sake!”

“I know, Andy, I’m sorry. We’ll just have to work fast,” Quynh said as Booker and Copley returned.

Andy growled and turned to Booker. “You’ve got one hour with him.”

“An hour? I was supposed to have a whole day!” Booker protested.

“Merrick’s security is seeking us out as we speak, Book, we’ve got to do this as fast as possible,” Andy countered. “Let’s go.”

They all nodded at that, and got to work. Andy and Quynh went into the back room and Nile stood close enough to the door she could hear them speaking.

“I’m insured against kidnapping for up to ten million,” Merrick said casually. “This should be very simple.”

“It won’t be,” Andy barked. “The lab on the 15th floor. You’ve got samples and data locked away in a safe. Tell us the combination.”

Merrick scoffed. “Why would I give you the keys to my company?”

“Tell us!” Quynh demanded. “Or do we have to bring your girlfriend into this?”

Right on cue, Booker began screaming from another room. Only, it wasn’t Booker’s scream.

“Wait, who is that?” Merrick sounded slightly concerned now. He gasped. “Dr. Kozak.”

“That’s right,” Andy said. “If you can’t tell us the combination, maybe she will.”

“That--that’s unnecessary,” Merrick stammered. “Look, is it money you’re after? Or rights to the company? Look I’m sure we can make an--”

There was a smacking sound that made Nile wince, and Andy said, “Shut up! We’ll let the two of you figure out your squabbles, and if you can’t come to an agreement, Kozak dies.”

Copley and Joe dragged Booker (who looked a hell of a lot like Dr. Kozak now) into the room.

“You have  _ one _ hour,” Quynh said before slamming the door shut.

They took off their masks and everyone let out a deep breath.

“Copley, Quynh, you’re with me,” Andy said. “We’ve got to stake out this place--make sure we don’t have any unwanted visitors. Nile and Joe stay here and make sure they’re talking. Give them some incentive if you have to.”

Nile nodded as the three left, but once they were out of earshot, she immediately whirled on Joe.

“You wanna tell me what the hell happened back there?”

Joe scrubbed at his face. “What do you  _ think _ happened back there? Nicky showed up.”

“And  _ hit us with a car _ , Joe,” Nile said. “Is this going to be a problem?”

“No, Nile, I can handle it,” Joe said. When Nile gave him an unimpressed look, he added, “I  _ promise _ .”

Before Nile could say anything else, there was the sound of a gunshot.

“They’re here already then?” Nile asked. 

“No,” Joe gasped. “That didn’t come from outside.”

Nile followed Joe, who sprinted towards where Merrick and Booker were being kept, picking up a gun and a mask on the way. Nile followed suit, but when she saw what happened, she had to put a hand over her mouth.

There on the floor, with a bullet in the head, was Dr. Kozak.  _ Booker. _ Next to the body was Merrick, breathing heavily and holding a gun.

Joe acted quickly, kicking the gun out of Merrick’s hand and putting a bag over his head. Then he began to drag Booker’s body out of the room. Nile got over her shock enough to help. They had just closed the door when Andy, Quynh, and Copley showed up. Quynh let out a shocked gasp and Andy’s expression hardened.

“Where did he get a gun?” Copley asked.

“I don’t know,” Joe said, shaking his head. 

“Why would he just kill her?” Quynh asked. “Kill  _ Booker _ ?”

“I don’t know!” Joe said again.

“There’s an easier way to find out what happened,” Andy said. 

She brushed past everyone to get back into the room with Merrick. She took the hood off of him, and pointed her gun in his face.

“What the hell happened?” She demanded.

Merrick shrugged. “She knew too much.” 

“She’s been with you since the beginning,” Andy countered.

Merrick laughed. “As if there aren’t perfectly capable doctors anywhere in the world. No, she was disposable.”

Nile’s eyes widened. This man...he was pure evil. There was no other way around it. To kill someone in cold blood like that…

“How did you get the gun?” Andy was asking now. 

“You think a man like me doesn’t carry protection?” Merrick scoffed. “What are you, amateurs?”

Andy growled then, but before she could do anything rash, Quynh rushed in and pulled her out of the room, closing the door behind her.

“This is all wrong,” Nile said. “Nothing is going to plan.”

“She’s right,” Andy agreed. “So we change the plan. This man’s a sociopath--we aren’t going to appeal to anything but his own narcissism.”

“What are you saying?” Quynh asked cautiously.

“We plant a new idea in his head--he’s going to want to destroy his company...because he wants to kill himself.”

“Andy, no,” Joe said immediately.

“I agree,” Copley said, “I didn’t hire you to murder a man. I hired you to destroy his company--change his life.”

Andy shook her head. “There’s no reasoning with a man like that. He’s got to go, and we’ve got to make it clean or else this traces back to us.”

Nile couldn’t believe she was saying this but…”I agree with Andy.” All eyes turned to her. “Either we leave here having accomplished nothing, or we do some good by taking someone evil out of the world.”

There was a pause before, softly, Joe said, “Fine, then I’m in as well.”

Copley shook his head. “If this goes sideways--”

“It won’t,” Quynh said confidently. “And even if it does, we’re your only chance.”

Copley sighed. “Fine.”

“Glad that’s settled, but what about Booker?” Joe asked. “He’s in limbo.”

Andy opened her mouth to speak, but suddenly a shadow flickered outside. “We’ll talk about it later. We’ve got company.”

Nile crouched down and the team spread out. So began a shootout. Nile was just glad she’d been a Marine before going into school for architecture, or she’d be lost. As it was, she managed to take out a few of the subconscious projections fairly easily.

“Copley!” Andy shouted from somewhere over to Nile’s left. “This is your dream. Get us a van and drive us out of here. We can’t keep holding them off like this.”

Copley nodded and went around a corner. The next thing Nile knew, there was a white van coming around the corner, and she started sprinting towards it. Joe helped her in, and they were off.

Quynh started handing out connections to the dream machine while Andy leaned out the window to shoot behind them. 

“You said we’d be here a week,” Copley said. “What am I supposed to do for that long?” 

“New plan, remember?” Andy said. “Hold them off for as long as you can before initiating the kick. Signal’s still the same.”

“Okay but that gives him maybe an hour here, right?” Joe asked. “How long do we have in the other levels?”

“A day in layer two, half a month in layer three,” Quynh answered. “But Booker’s in limbo. He’d be in there for months at that rate. Maybe years”

“That’s  _ if _ we’re able to get him out,” Nile pointed out. “Does  _ anyone _ have a plan for that? Has anyone ever even  _ been _ to limbo before?”

Andy and Quynh looked significantly at Joe.

“ _ You _ ?” Nile asked.

“Look, it’s a long story and we don’t have time,” Joe said. “Point is, I can get him out but we have to do everything as fast as possible without alerting Merrick. So what’s our new plan, boss?”

“Mrs. Charles,” Andy said, back to shooting out the window.

“No,” Quynh said immediately.

“What’s Mrs. Charles?” Nile asked.

“A ridiculous plan is what it is,” Quynh said.

“We don’t have time to argue!” Andy snapped. “Let’s go! Copley, press the button.”

There was a lot of yelling coming from Quynh and Joe after that, but Copley followed Andy’s orders and Nile was suddenly too sedated to pay attention to any of it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yay, we get some action! It's my first time writing action scenes so let me know if I did okay! Chapter Five should be up next week as we go into ~layer two~ and I hope you guys are as excited as I am!


	6. Five

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the delay! I had a mixture of life happenings and generally not liking these chapters. So! Two-chapter update yet again!

Nile awoke next to Joe, sitting bolt upright on an uncomfortable office couch. Joe grinned at her--a stark contrast from the angry yelling she’d last remembered. She looked around and spotted Andy hovering near Merrick at the bar. He was talking to the bartender, who--Nile blinked--yep, that was Quynh.

“Okay, so are you going to tell me what this ‘Mrs. Charles’ plan is?” Nile whispered, even though they were definitely out of earshot.

“Just watch,” Joe said, as Andy began to approach Merrick. She held out her hand, which Merrick didn’t take, before sitting down next to him at the bar. “She’s making herself known.”

Andy kept talking, and Nile realized there was a rumbling vibration underneath her. Vestiges of the first layer--it must be the van hitting a bump in the road. Maybe a body. Nile didn’t want to dwell.

“Okay,” Nile said. “Why would she do that?”

“It’s a way to turn Merrick’s own subconscious against him by telling him he’s dreaming,” Joe explained.

“Wait, just  _ tell _ him?” Nile asked. “Won’t that destroy everything?”

“It could,” Joe said, tilting his head, “which is why it’s a terrible plan.”

“Alright, so what’s the goal?” Nile asked, as Andy pointed to the window, where rain started to pour down.

“The subconscious is beginning to look for the dreamer--for Quynh,” Joe said, tilting his head to where some of the projections were already staring at Quynh wiping down a glass. “But as far as Merrick is aware, Andy is his subconscious, telling him to look out for his actual subconscious, who are trying to attack her. Come with me.”

“Okay, so how does this convince Merrick to kill himself?” Nile asked as they walked.

“Because right now, Andy’s trying to convince him that Dr Kozak has framed him for her murder,” Joe said as they rounded a corner to find Quynh holding on to Dr. Kozak.

Nile was taken aback. “Who is this?”

“Ah hah!” Joe exclaimed happily. “That would be Merrick’s projection of Dr. Kozak. Well done Quynh!”

“We got lucky,” Quynh snapped. “Now let’s hide her before Andy comes up here with Merrick.”

They tied up Dr. Kozak in the bathtub of a hotel room and Nile felt like she was going to burst with questions.

“Okay, look, forget Merrick. You guys seem to know what you’re doing here,” Nile said. “What about Booker? How are we getting him out of limbo?”

“That’s easy. We go into it like it’s a fourth layer,” Joe said, “then we grab him and kick ourselves out of there.

“A fourth layer?” Nile asked. “You can do that?”

“You can,” Joe said, as Quynh got a call from Andy--the signal that they were on their way up.

“Okay, so is that how you got there before?” Nile asked.

Joe shook his head, eyes sad. “You remember my biggest regret?”

Nile was confused for a second before her eyes went wide. “You killed Nicky.”

“You didn’t stick around long enough to hear the whole story,” Joe chuckled. “He killed me too.”

“It wasn’t extraction,” Nile realized. “It was another inception.”

Joe nodded. “We were stuck together in limbo for fifty years.”

“Fifty years?” Nile gasped.

“If it weren’t for Nicky, my brains would probably be fried right now. But instead we built a whole world together. And we fell in love.”

Nile let out a breath, but before she could say anything, they were interrupted by a knock on the door. Quynh answered it, allowing Merrick and Andy to enter.

“Now, you say you murdered Dr. Kozak,” Andy was saying to Merrick, leading him towards the bathroom. “If that’s the case, how do you explain this?”

“I-I-I don’t know,” Merrick stammered. “She must be a projection.”

“She’s not a projection, Merrick,  _ I’m _ a projection. She’s the one in your head.”

Merrick shook his head. “But if that’s true, then why would she want me to kill her--well, a fake her?”

“She  _ didn’t _ want you to kill her,” Andy countered. “She thought you cared enough about her to trust her. She’s been manipulating you the whole time.”

Merrick shook his head like he was trying to restart his brain. “Then I don’t understand. What does she want?”

“Why don’t we look inside her head?” Andy suggested, as Quynh handed her a briefcase.

Merrick looked taken aback. “What--a three layer dream? You must be ridiculous.”

“It’s possible,” Andy said. “You know it and I know it. And it’s the best way to get the information you need.”

Merrick blinked before eventually nodding and holding out his wrist. Andy nodded and began preparations. As she attached Joe’s connection, she whispered something in his ear, but Nile knew it wasn’t a good idea to ask. Instead, she let herself fall into the dream as Quynh pushed the button.


	7. Six

Nile awoke shivering this time, even through her many layers of clothing. They were in a tundra, and Joe was standing to the side next to her while Andy and Merrick discussed operations.

“So what’s the plan now?” Nile asked in a low voice. 

“Now, we break into Merrick’s own subconscious, plant the idea,” Joe said. “After that, you and I go to the fourth level.”

“Are you sure that’s a good idea?” Nile asked. “Nicky’s going to be there.”

Joe grimaced. “I know. But we need to get Booker out, and I’m the only one here who’s ever been.”

It was rough going, breaking Merrick in, but Nile knew her way around the place, so it didn’t take as long as it should have. She and Joe guided Merrick to the central vault, while Andy went around setting charges to initiate the kick. They managed to reach the center, and Joe motioned Merrick to open the vault. As he did so, Andy made her way in. No one knew what was going to be behind the vault doors, and they waited with bated breath.

When the doors opened fully, Nile had to suppress a gasp. The only thing in the room was a boy--no older than thirteen. His eyes were red like he’d been crying. Merrick let out a shaky breath. Nile knew who this was--it was Merrick’s brother. Killed in the same accident as his parents.

“Roland?” Merrick asked, his voice trembling.

“Steven,” Roland said, sniffly. “Why is it so cold?”

“It’s winter, Roland,” Merrick said. He began pulling off his coat. “Here, you can--”

“I don’t want anything from you,” Roland said, suddenly glaring. “You killed me.”

Nile turned wide eyes on Andy and Joe, who shrugged and looked equally shocked.

“No, no I didn’t, I--”

“That’s all you do,” Roland continued, bitter. “Kill to get what you want.”

“It was an accident. You weren’t supposed to be there, and--”

“But I was, wasn’t I? I was there and you still went through with the plan.” 

“Holy shit,” Andy breathed. Nile had to agree. All their sources told them that Merrick’s family died in a car accident. Merrick held no love for them, but no foul play was suspected. This exchange was telling them otherwise.

“I-I had to,” Merrick said. “They were going to destroy my company, my plans and I--”

“ _ Our _ company,” Roland growled. “ _ Our  _ plans. But you just couldn’t leave it be could you? You probably planned on killing me from the start. You wanted to have it all to yourself.”

“No!” Merrick cried out. “No, it wasn’t like that.”

“And now you plan on killing Dr. Kozak, is that it?”

As the two brothers continued to speak, Andy started sprinting to the wall, coming back with a familiar briefcase. She whispered, “You two need to go-- _ right now. _ ”

Nile and Joe nodded simultaneously as Andy handed them their connections. In front of them, Merrick was walking towards his brother, who took a step back in disgust. Nile knew what was going to happen. Knew the idea Roland would give Merrick, but she still wished she could witness it.

Oh well.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Another chapter and then an epilogue. We're almost there folks!


	8. Seven

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warning ahead of time, this chapter is sad-flavored. Still, I hope it's enjoyable.
> 
> This is the final chapter, but there's still an epilogue!

This time, Nile woke to seawater in her mouth, which she promptly coughed up. She was lying on a beach, and when she looked up, Joe was running towards her.

“You alright, Nile?” Joe asked, helping her up.

Nile could only nod as she took in the vast, crumbling buildings before her. “These are your creations?”

“They were,” Joe said. “Come on, let’s go.”

Everything they saw was utterly beautiful to Nile. Even if she hadn’t known architecture, the details on the buildings would still be breathtaking.

“Fifty years, and you built your own kingdom,” Nile breathed.

Joe smiled at that. “Nicky was the one with the big dreams. I was just the artist.”

“What was he like?” Nile found herself asking. “Before?”

Joe sighed wistfully. “He was indescribable, Nile. I’ve tried to write poems, but the man was..he was all and he was more. Filled with a kindness of which this world is not worthy, yet if you crossed him, he was devastating.”

“But you crossed him, didn’t you?” Nile asked, eliciting a laugh out of Joe.

“Yeah, and it took years before he forgave me. More for me to forgive him.” Joe looked down. “If we hadn’t been stuck here...I don’t know if I would ever have gotten to know him, and that’s a tragedy in itself.”

Nile shook her head. “But you  _ did _ get to know him. You had over fifty years with him, Joe. Don’t you think that’s enough time?”

“No,” Joe said so softly, Nile almost didn’t hear him. “But yes, it was a long time.”

Suddenly, there was a melodic sound coming down the street, causing Joe to snap his attention in that direction. “That’s him. Come on.”

They jogged towards the sound, which lead to an office building where they headed to the elevator immediately.

“What’s the plan?” Nile asked. 

“I’m gonna improvise,” Joe said, pulling out a gun.

“What’s Nicky going to do?” Nile asked, suddenly worried.

“I’m not sure, but you should be prepared for anything.”

“And Booker?” 

“He’ll be with Nicky.” The elevator doors opened and suddenly they were in a familiar hotel room.

“Shit,” Nile couldn’t help but mutter.

Nicky was sitting there on the sofa like he had been in the memory before, but he turned his head when they walked toward him.

“My heart,” he said. “It’s been a while.”

“Where’s Booker, love?” Joe asked, gun raised.

Nicky stood and turned fully towards them. “A weapon, my love? Is that necessary?”

“Last time I saw you, you hit me with a car,” Joe pointed out.

“That was for your own safety,” Nicky argued. “It was to get your attention.”

“You could have killed me.”

“Yes,” Nicky’s smile was almost predatory now, “But unlike you, I didn’t.”

“That’s not fair,” Nile said, causing Nicky’s sharp gaze to turn on her. “He didn’t kill you.”

“Stay out of this, Nile,” Joe warned.

“He did kill me, though, didn’t he?” Nicky countered. “When we first met.”

“And you killed me,” Joe shot back. “But we’re even now.”

Nicky tilted his head. “No...no I don’t think we are. Because if it weren’t for you, I wouldn’t have died that night in the alley.”

Nile saw the gun in Joe’s hand shake, but before she could say anything, Joe was speaking.

“That was an accident,” he said, though Nile noticed a tear falling down his cheek. “You know I didn’t mean--”

“Whether you meant it or not, I died,” Nicky interrupted. “But I still live on, in your mind. Stay here with me, Yusuf. Stay here, and we can be together again.”

Joe hesitated. “If I do, will you tell me where Booker is?”

“You can’t be serious!” Nile exclaimed.

Nicky watched as Joe slowly lowered the gun. “He’s on the balcony.”

“Nile, go get him,” Joe said.

“But--”

“Just go!” 

Nile huffed but she opened the balcony door where Booker was, indeed, slumped against the wall of the hotel. He was unconscious, but otherwise okay. Just as Nile finished checking for injuries, she looked in to see Joe holding Nicky tightly.

“Joe, you can’t be serious right now. We have to go!” Nile shouted.

Joe looked at her over Nicky’s shoulders. “Just give me a minute, Nile.”

“Tell me you aren’t staying here for him, Joe. He doesn’t exist!”

“I know,” Joe said, causing Nicky to step back in shock.

“I’m the only thing you believe in anymore, my heart,” Nicky said. “You know you want to stay with me.”

“I do,” Joe said, tears flowing down his cheeks. “I do, my love, I wish more than anything I could stay with you.” At this, he pressed a tender kiss to Nicky’s lips. “But you don’t exist. I can’t imagine you with all your complexities--you’re just a shadow in my mind.” A sob escaped his throat. “I miss you more than I can bear, hyati, but we had our time together.” Another kiss. “But now I have to let you go.” He let out a shaky exhale. “I have to let you go.”

With a clench of his jaw, Joe extricated himself from Nicky and walked toward Nile. Together, they lifted Booker up and over the balcony railing, initiating his kick. Nile was next. She looked to Joe before jumping, though. 

“You good?” she asked.

Joe nodded. “Yeah. Yeah, I’m good.”

Nile nodded back and jumped off backwards. As she fell, she watched Joe hold out his hand toward Nicky before letting himself fall as well.

Then Nile woke near the vault, only to fall again. She woke again in an elevator. Then again in a van. And then--finally, blessedly--she was on an airplane. She blinked and found herself looking at a suddenly dry-eyed Joe, who nodded at her.

She smiled back.


	9. Epilogue

It’s a cafe. Just any old cafe really. It’s where she meets up with Joe. She finds him reading a newspaper with the headline  _ Youngest CEO in Pharma found dead _ . She isn’t surprised. She already read the article.

“How are you feeling?” she asks Joe.

“Oh, I’m doing alright,” he sighs. “No dreams these days so I’m sleeping well. And you?”

Nile shrugs. “Same old same old. How’s Booker holding up?”

“He’s not too bad,” Joe said with a shrug. “Nicky didn’t rough him up too much.”

Nile chuckled.

They sat there for a moment while Joe sipped his coffee.

“I wish I could have met the real Nicky,” Nile said after a moment.

Joe smiled. “He would have liked you, I think.” A pause. “Thank you, Nile.”

“For what?”

“For helping me grieve properly,” Joe said. “I think I always knew what I had to do. I just needed someone to give me a kick in the ass.”

Nile put a hand over Joe’s. “You would have gotten there on your own. I’m just glad I could speed things along.”

Joe flipped his hand over and squeezed Nile’s hand before slipping out of her grip. He set down the newspaper.

“So why did you really come here, Nile?”

Nile was shocked into a grin. Nothing gets past Joe. “Andy’s got us a new mission.”

“Already?” Joe rolled his eyes. “Doesn’t that woman know how to take a break?”

Nile shrugged. “She wanted me to see if you were on board. Especially now that you’re not gonna fuck up the missions anymore.”

“Hey, I did  _ not _ fuck up that last one,” Joe argued. “Besides, they already have a brilliant architect. What do they need me for?”

“This architect is still new,” Nile pointed out. “Besides, I’m sure you have your uses. Are you in or not?”

Joe paused for a long time, considering. Then he nodded. “I’m in.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks tp everyone for getting this far! This was certainly a labor of love and I had so much fun working on this fic. I had plans to write a prequel about Joe and Nicky's history, but life has gotten busy. Hopefully I'll be able to sit down and actually write it. For now, I hope you enjoyed reading!


End file.
